


Take a Chance on Me

by sanbika



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Didn't Know They Were Dating, Domestic Fluff, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, KL VDay 2021, Klance VDay 2021, Klance Valentine's Exchange 2021, M/M, Moving In Together, Mutual Pining, Post-Canon, Roommates, Slice of Life, Texting, klvalentines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:20:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29589219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanbika/pseuds/sanbika
Summary: Lance is enjoying life after Voltron. He's working in the Garrison with his closest friends, helping out on the family farm, and eating home-cooked meals and not space goo. Yep, life is pretty good!But he's a grown adult now, and he's feeling the urge to spread his wings, form sword, grow up, and all that jazz.So what's a guy to do? Move in with his former rival slash current best friend's spare bedroom, of course!And they were roommates.
Relationships: Keith & Lance's Family (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), Lance & Lance's Family (Voltron), Voltron Paladins - Relationship
Comments: 8
Kudos: 106





	Take a Chance on Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Zainab_Abbass](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zainab_Abbass/gifts).



> A valentine for Zainab  
> From sanbika

_ 04:45 AM _

_ Mullet _

_ Today’s the day. You ready, sharpshooter? _

__

Lance’s phone dinged as the message came in, but he’d been waiting for this one, rolling his back to find a spot that would let his nerves settle and his muscles relax. 

He had been up with anticipation and anxiety most of the night, trying to focus his thoughts on planning the day and watching wisps of clouds and satellite trails as they moved across the dark panes of his window. 

He could almost pretend he was back on the Castleship if he squinted into the midnight expanse, if he ignored the soft snores coming from Marco’s side of the room, the creaking of his too-small bed, or the sounds of insects chirping outside in the dry summer night. 

But the glow of his phone was nothing like the alien blue of the ship or the eerie purple of the former Galra empire that haunted his dreams these days. 

As he pondered a response, wondering how to convey the nerves and longing he’d been bottling up for so long in a casual, friendship-type way, the haptic reminder pulled Lance out of his thoughts and he dashed out a reply to Keith, sending it before he could self-edit.

_ 05:02 AM _

_ Born ready... Why?  _

_ If youve got cold feet, you gotta tell me before I move out LOL _

_ Its paladin code _

Lance’s mouth began to dry out, feeling like he’d already typed too much, that Keith’s intense, violet gaze would read between the lines and see just how nervous, how mentally unprepared he was to be moving into his friend’s spare bedroom. Maybe he'd get offended and then they’d lose all the progress they’d painstakingly made over the years.

Keith was already typing but the little trio of dots only served to make the butterflies in his stomach worse. 

_ 05:04 AM _

_ Mullet _

_ Just checking.  _

_ I’ve got back to back meetings at the Garrison all day,  _

_ so if you were running late,  _

_ I wanted to leave the keys with my neighbor as a backup.  _

Lance’s mouth fell open, indignant that Keith would think so lowly of him. Late?? Keith was worried he’d be late for their planned move? He worked on a farm, for quiznack’s sake!

_ 05:05 AM _

_ Late?? _

_ Mullet _

_ Lance… _

_ 05:06 AM _

_ Late?? _

_ I help on my family farm for quiznacks sake! _

_ Late?? _

_ Mullet _

_ Lance, I didn’t think you were going to be late,  _

_ I just wanted to check in, you know, like a team?  _

_ I was creating a backup plan, just in case I had to  _

_ leave early or if you hit traffic or something.  _

__

Lance sniffed, stretching his arms out, cracking his back nicely, and trying to get the pout off of his face. It figured that Keith was too good to be petty. He’d been infuriatingly noble since he’d become Black Paladin. 

_ 05:08 AM _

_ …humph _

_ Well… that makes sense I guess _

_ 05:09 AM _

_ Mullet _

_ Well, it makes sense to me.  _

_ Anyway, are you still bringing coffee? _

_ Sure am. _

_ Two pumps toffee nut, black, right? _

_ 05:10 AM _

_ Mullet _

_ Thanks Sharpshooter. See you in a few. _

This time it wasn’t a pout that Lance had to fight off his face, the corners of his lips twitching with amusement. 

Sharpshooter, huh?

He hopped up with that tiny smile on his face, taking the sheets off his bed, going through his morning bathroom skincare routine, and packing the last of his toiletries and clothing as he prepared for the day. 

The tiniest glimmer of pinkish rays were stretching over the fields and buildings outside. Something about the gentle glow of light, the familiar back and forth of messages settled the last of his nerves.

He was moving today, into Keith’s spare room.  It was time for him to take a real step towards independence as he figured out his future career. And despite his nerves, he knew it was going to be okay. 

Not just okay, but great.

As Lance made his way out of his room with his small duffle, Marco groaned at him grumpily from the larger full-size bed. “Geez, squirt, do you have to make so much noise at the crack of dawn?”

Lance put his things down, smiling broadly now.

“You can’t call me squirt anymore, I’m like an inch taller than you! Besides,” he jumped onto the bed so he could strongarm Marco into a bear hug, “you’re supposed to be helping me and the girls move my boxes into the rental truck. Up and at ‘em, bro!”

Marco groaned louder, squirming and kicking, nailing his elbowed square in Lance’s stomach before going limp. “I’m too old for this, and you’re too big. You military people get up so freakishly early. Ahhh, all right. I’m up. You better make me some eggs and toast if you want me to haul your crap for you. And coffee too.”

Lance coughed as he let go, the air rushing out of him before he hopped down and grabbed his bags. “Got it, but no can do on the coffee. We’re all out.”

He dodged the pillow that was thrown at him, chuckling as he went downstairs, a jaunty whistle on his lips, some song his mother loved but he could never remember the words to. 

As he took the stairs two at a time, the smell of sizzling butter greeted him. Veronica was pouring eggs into the cast iron skillet, glancing at him askance as she concentrated on not spilling all over the counter. The speakers on the counter played soft disco tunes from centuries ago. The same song he'd just been whistling. 

**If you change your mind, I’m the first in line**

“‘Bout time, sleeping beauty. I’ve already sliced the bread, you’ve got to batter and fry it now if we're all going to eat and leave on time.”

Lance scoffed, throwing his arms out in faux-offense, “I’m the king of torrejas, Vero, I’ll be done before you finish your eggs. And what is this music, I seriously question your taste sometimes.”

His older sister rolled her eyes, a grin snaking across her face. “Whatever you say, bobo, just pick up the pace. It takes 30 minutes to get to Keith’s place, and he’s my ride to. With that strategic meeting, we’ll need to arrive at the Garrison by 08:30 sharp—”

**If you need me, let me know, gonna be around**

“Ugh, I am aware!” Lance wasn’t a whiner per se, but when he felt attacked or a little annoyed, his pitch climbed to something his family could only lovingly describe as shrill.  “Keith was already giving me grief about the plan an hour ago, I don’t need you to start too! We’ll leave here 15 minutes past 7, I’ll get the key, and you and Keith can traipse off to your fancy officer’s meeting, Marco, Rachel, and I will move my stuff in, unpack, crack a few beers, you guys will come back at night, we’ll celebrate my successful transition to adulthood with pizza, and Marco will drive you home, we’re all good here!” 

Veronica raised her hands, frowning. “All right there, Lance, glad to know you’re on the same page is all.” She paused, breaking up the eggs with her spatula and adding a liberal shake of salt and chili pepper. 

“So, Keith already texted you, hmm?”

Lance was too distracted, not quite processing what she said as he was using tongs to soak the sliced pieces of Cuban bread and draining the excess batter with a couple of shakes. He carefully placed each piece he dunked into the hot pan on the stove. His hand slipped, causing the batter to drip onto the flame, spattering him as it burnt off the sugar. Didn’t Keith love French toast? Torrejas was basically the same thing, but way better, a bit of rum and orange peel made all the difference.

“Veronica, where does Mami keep the lunchboxes?”

She turned with an odd look, laughing for a second before it died on her lips. She pointed at the pantry instead, “In the bins on the bottom shelf, towards the back. But you better return it, Papi and Marco and I use them every day.”

**Gonna do my very best and it ain't no lie**

**If you put me to the test, if you let me try**

Lance flipped the pieces of bread in front of him, pleased with the hissing sound that meant they’d be nice and crispy when he was done. 

He then dashed off to rummage through the pantry until he found a metal container with different sections for different foods. He was so hyper-focused on getting breakfast ready for the family (to thank them for all the help with packing) that again, he didn’t really notice what it was that was making Veronica chuckle to herself. 

“I’ll bring it back, geez, it’s not like I’m leaving the country.” He mumbled as he walked to the fridge, searching for the fruit that Rachel had cut up yesterday. Bingo. He pulled the bowl out and put it on the table, snagging some of the prettier pieces of mango and hulled strawberries to arrange neatly in one of the lunchbox compartments. 

Veronica plated the eggs and dropped a box of sausages into the still sizzling pan, an odd expression on her face. He could figure out what was up with her later, but now all Lance could focus on was making Keith’s breakfast look nice. 

**Listen to some music (oh)**

**Maybe just talking (yeah)**

**Get to know you better (get to know you better)**

Oh, Keith definitely loved sausages, he’d better sure to grab a few, and that would add some protein. 

“The bread's gonna burn Lance,” his sister warned just as the smells of caramelization started to turn bitter.

“Cheese and crackers!”  Lance cursed, rushing over to his pan, annoyed at his own spaciness. Thankfully, the torrejas were still a rich brown, not burned or charred at all. He put them on a platter and began the next batch. Only after selecting the prettiest ones for the lunchbox.

Veronica hip-checked him with an easy smile.

“Where is your head today, bobo? Nervous about the move?”

Lance looked up, sheepish. His nerves were mostly gone but he was left with a surge of adrenaline and excitement that made it difficult to focus and concentrate.

“More excited than anything, it feels like something normal, you know, moving out? And not like space normal or Voltron normal, just normal life.”

She hummed, flipping the sausages, before looking at him again.

“I never got to ask why you wanted to move in with Keith? I thought you'd’ve picked Hunk, after all he’s your best friend. But Keith?”

**So much that I wanna do**

**When I dream I'm alone with you, it's magic**

Lance started at that. Oddly, no one had questioned him as to why he’d decided to move in with Keith before now. 

Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro had all joked, placing bets as to when they’d kill each other but seemed fine with it. His Mami was a bit tearful, but as supportive as the rest of the family had been (and Marco was not quiet about how happy he’d be to get the bedroom back to himself). 

When he’d asked Keith in the first place, he’d gotten raised eyebrows and a slow, easy smile. Keith had thought it was a good idea, what with the two of them working at the Garrison and occasionally going on Blade missions together, and since it was Lance’s good idea, Lance had felt doubly pleased that he and his team leader were still in sync. 

“Well,” he fumbled now, his attention caught between starting another batch of fried bread and following the frustrating train of thought that he had just been given. “Well, Hunk has Shay and I mean, he does have the extra bedroom, but Keith's my best friend too…”

Was that a bead of sweat sliding down his temple? 

Must be the heat in the kitchen getting to him. Lance pushed on, determined to get this right, because if he couldn’t answer Veronica, lord knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep until he could think of a reason. It was hard to articulate it, though. 

**Honey, I'm still free**

**Take a chance on me**

Moving in with Keith just seemed to make sense. Lance and Keith, neck and neck. 

“I guess I wanted Hunk to have space for himself. And Keith… well even though he’s a loner, that’s just because he needs space, he doesn’t actually like to be alone all the time. And, hmm, it just felt right, you know? Keith thought so too, anyway. I mean, of course I love being here with everyone, but it’s a small house and I felt like I want to grow up a bit, I guess.”

Lance trailed off, aware that he’d been babbling, that the silence in the kitchen felt resonant and meaningful. That he’d somehow exposed himself to his sister in so many words.

Veronica patted his shoulder before moving to the counter to drop a few sausages into the lunchbox Lance had pulled out. She followed it with a scoop of the eggs she’d made earlier.

“For Keith, right?” She winked over at him. 

Blushing horribly, he coughed and managed to keep the whine out of his voice. “I mean, normally he’d be working out at the Garrison right now. I felt bad that he’s skipping his routine for me.”

**You say that I waste my time**

**But I can't get you off my mind, no, I can't let go**

**'Cause I love you so**

She nodded, that obnoxious grin ever-present, “Makes sense, very thoughtful. Look at you, being a considerate roommate already.” 

Veronica called out that breakfast was ready to the rest of the family as she put the rest of the sausages into a bowl on the table before coming back to help finish the last of the torrejas. 

With breakfast plated, the two were starting on the dishes before Veronica abruptly turned and gave him a firm hug. Being one of the rarer introverted McClains, she didn’t just voluntarily embrace people willy-nilly, so Lance leaned into it, warmed by the uncharacteristic display of affection.

“I’m happy for you... All of you Paladins had a weird entry into adulthood, so I think it’ll be good for you both. Not just good, great, I can tell.”

Lance felt like she just plowed right through all the things he was having trouble saying, even to himself.

**Gonna do my very best, baby, can't you see**

**Gotta put me to the test, take a chance on me**

All he could say in reply was a shaky “Thanks Vero.” 

And if they hugged a bit longer than usual, even with Marco and Rachel stumbling in, Mami and Papi behind them, it was all the better. Breakfast was delicious, and filled with good-natured jests and jokes, Mami cupping his cheeks in emotion more than once, Papi clapping him on the back, eyes crinkling with pride, Veronica’s garish oldies playing in the background, all while the light in their homey kitchen turned from grey to pink to a bright yellow . 

It’d be nice for Keith to be here, Lance mused, for him to feel what family was for himself. 

Maybe someday he could. 

Time had flown by and before Lance knew it, his boxes and a few pieces of furniture were all stacked neatly in the pick-up truck, filling him with that same awful excitement he’d been struggling with since last night, almost like the buzz he got after a particularly good champagne, dizzying and delighting him at the same time. 

He bit his lips and clenched his hands. 

It wasn’t a big deal.  It was totally a big deal, though.

He’d hugged and kissed his parents goodbye and hopped into the truck bed with his siblings. His phone vibrated as they were pulling down the driveway onto the lane.

_ 07:18 AM _

_ Mullet _

_ Hey, news report that there’s a pile up on the freeway. _

_ If you take backroads, you’ll be fine but send me your _

_ coffee order and I’ll head to the one near me to pick it up. _

Lance’s nose twitched as he relayed the instructions to Marco and sent the order over. Always with the planning and worst-case scenario. He covered his hand with his mouth to hide the smile crawling across his face, imagining Keith waiting for him and his siblings, ordering their coffees for them. 

There wasn’t anything between them that he knew of. They were just close friends but sometimes, with little gestures like that, he wondered if Keith didn’t think they were just friends. 

Rachel peered over his shoulder, tittering in his ear, causing him to scowl and turn his phone away. “None of that now,” he complained grumpily before writing back.

_ 07:20 AM _

_ Heard _

_ Just sent the order over _

_ Pay you back later okay? _

_ Mullet _

_ Don’t worry about it. _

_ Stay safe. _

“Ooh, Vero, not even a minute and he’s already texting back,” Rachel’s giggles turned into full-blown laughs, with Marco and Vero chuckling in the background. The embarrassment was unbearable, so Lance jabbed his sister with an elbow, mortified.

“Rachel!” 

Lance’s voice was somewhere in the range of piercing and ear-splitting.

“Chill, I’m still not caffeinated,” Marco barked out, but he sounded in good spirits all the same. Teasing was a love language in their home, and now Lance was the perfect, bashful bait.

“Lay off,” Veronica said, her face diplomatic, “I have meetings to get to, so focus on the road. And Rachel, whatever happened to that date you were supposed to go on with that cadet you met at the market? What was his name?”

And with the gossip flowing, the car ride continued, Lance recovering from the vicious callouts as the sunlight dappled his face through the trees. 

There was a lot he should probably talk to Keith about, but for now he was indulging in how nice it would be to live with one of his favorite people (if he was honest, his favorite person). Heck, he was going to have a dog now!

He bounced his foot in anticipation as the navigation declared them only five minutes away. They were in a little neighborhood of Garrison homes now, a high-tech version of suburbia with sustainable materials and eco-friendly greenery. It felt too real now. He'd be sharing a house with Keith!

Shiro and Curtis’ home was only a few minutes down the road. The Holts and Hunk's maybe twenty minutes away. It’d be cool to have block parties together, Lance laughed to himself. 

Keith’s house was not too fancy, a sturdy place with stone walls and an exceptionally scarlet door, fruits and vegetables growing in oak planters around the sides of the yard. He had one small gnome with a blue hood by the mailbox, which was such a random domestic Keith thing to do, Lance quickly decided he'd never stop teasing him about it. 

And Keith himself was crouched in the driveway in his crisp Garrison uniform, next to his speeder, ruffling Kosmo’s fur. There was a tray of coffees on the seat. Something about it, the shine of the sun in his dark hair, how happy he looked, took his breath away.

Someone pressed the lunchbox into his hands and Lance gulped, worried that Keith would think it was a weird thing to do. 

Veronica whispered softly in his ear. “Go get him.”

Lance nodded briefly, butterflies coming back in full force as the weight of his feelings, of exactly why he wanted nothing more than to live life with Keith, hit him all at once. He didn’t have much time to steel himself, though, as Marco unlocked the car and Rachel gave him a hefty push out the door.

He turned to glare but gaped as he realized that none of his siblings were coming with him. Instead, they were smiling, Rachel waving him forward with a shooing motion, Veronica giving him a single wink, and Marco offering a thumbs up and a cheesy grin.

Oh man, he was on his own now. 

Well, he was a paladin, wasn’t he? He’d done scary things before.

Telling his former nemesis that actually he thought of him as a best friend, and really when he said best friend, he meant to say that he was head over heels for him, and was it okay to still move in... well, it couldn’t be all that hard, right?

Lance ambled over, the metal lunchbox felt as heavy as an anchor now that he was faced with the prospect of having to give it to his.... whatever Keith was. He kept licking his lips as the breeze dried them out. But when Keith caught his gaze and stood up, and those unearthly violet eyes held him, he felt a wave of relief.

This wasn’t a stranger. This was Keith.

Lance knew Keith.

The other man stood up, smiling wryly as he held out a silver key.

“It’s 08:00, Sharpshooter. Veronica and I will have to leave in five if we want to make it to our meeting. Glad I messaged you now?”

Lance chuckled as he took the key, transfixed by Keith’s fingers brushing and lingering on his own. 

“Knowing you and your need for speed, I figure you’ll still make it there with ten minutes to spare.”

Keith shrugged with a smile, unable to deny it. Kosmo stepped over to nose at Lance’s free hand until he got some nice scratches.

“What’s that?” Keith pointed at the small metal container.

“Oh,” Lance’s voice cracked before he could control it. He could use the same lame excuse he’d given Veronica, but for some reason, now, he didn’t want to.

“I made you breakfast. It’s torrejas, basically French toast. You’ll love it, I swear.”

Keith’s cheeks pinked in a satisfying way, but before Lance could enjoy it, those eyes darted up and the intensity in them felt like a punch to the gut. Lance swallowed compulsively as he handed over the box.

“I’m sure I will.” Keith said it like a promise, his voice warm and gravelly and comfortable. “I have to head out now, but I wanted to tell you that I haven’t had time to move some things out of the second bedroom, that last mission had a lot of paperwork and I kept falling asleep early at home. If you need to move stuff, go ahead. But if you don’t want to move it, or if you want to keep that room for an office or a workout space or a guest room, it’s up to you. You can put your things in there, or in my room.” 

He reached out to squeeze Lance’s hand for only a second. “Whatever makes you happy, or whatever you’re comfortable with, that’s fine with me.”

That buzzing feeling overwhelmed him again as Keith stepped in, dropping a whisper of a kiss on his cheeks with that sweet, charming smile that set Lance’s everything on fire. He knew he was blushing something fierce and from the muffled whoops coming from the truck, his siblings were probably having a field day. 

Why was he always the last to know what was going on? 

How had Keith known what he was trying to say when he’d asked to move in? 

Could he read Lance that well? 

Or were they satellites orbiting around each other, each waiting for the other to take a chance, the first step?

Not to be outdone, he moved into Keith’s space and returned the gesture, this time with a firm, slow kiss that he hoped conveyed the myriad of emotions he was bursting with. 

The hand that Keith tangled into Lance’s close-cropped hair, the tremble of Lance’s lips, the tiniest whimper between them... Keith and Lance said everything they’d needed to say for years in one dazzling moment. 

It passed in a blur and the alarm on Keith’s phone went off as they drifted apart, smiling, bemused,  _ happy _ . Veronica walked over with the worst “told you so” expression Lance had ever seen and hopped onto the speeder. 

Keith’s hand came around to caress Lance’s cheek, which only made him chuckle.

“Such a sap.”

But there was no bite to it. 

“You’re one to talk,” Keith mumbled, lifting the lunch box into sight, before ordering Kosmo back into the house and swinging his leg over his bike. His eyes caught Lance’s again, they always did, and he paused, taking the other in, biting his lip before saying simply, “I’ll see you tonight.”

Lance grinned, waving a hand as Keith backed out of the driveway, his heart buoyant as the summer wind. 

“Yeah. See you at home.”

###    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! It was super fun writing this prompt for Rae's Klance Valentine's Exchange! 
> 
> Please let me know what you thought, what you liked best, what did and didn't work. 
> 
> I write drabbles for people who find my typos LOL
> 
> Parts of this fic are lovingly inspired by my old friend Cati and her ridiculously kind family, whose mom made the most delicious breakfasts after sleepovers and welcomed me into her home and shared Cuban history and culture with me like we were family.


End file.
